


Let's Roll With It

by Sumi (SakanatoAi)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Endgame Phichuuri, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Misunderstandings, Roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-11 06:35:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13518570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakanatoAi/pseuds/Sumi
Summary: At the age of twenty-three Yuuri’s life seemed to revolve around only three things: figure skating, his idol—Victor Nikiforov, and his best friend Phichit.Yuuri and Phichit shared a small apartment in Detroit, where they did their best to pass their university classes, and spent all of their free moments at the ice rink. Even after they moved past their teenage years, the walls above the beds remained decorated with posters and magazine clippings featuring skaters.





	Let's Roll With It

_They had been friends for nearly seven years, and roommates for going on three. Yuuri couldn’t imagine his life without Phichit._

_He met his friend only months after moving halfway around the world, from his family home in Japan, to attend high school, and later University, in the United States._

_As a sixteen-year-old, attending a foreign boarding school for the first time, he had been completely terrified at the prospect of making friends and sharing a living space with a stranger._

_His first day in the dorms had been a turning point for his new life in the US. He had walked down the hall of the building, scanning for the room number to which he had been assigned, only to find the door to his room wide open before him._

_When he glanced inside, he was met with the sight of a dancing boy, and the sound of Justin Timberlake’s Rock your Body oozing from a small pair of computer speakers. A moment later, Phichit had spotted him from the corner of his eye and bounded over with a smile and wink._

_“Are you my roommate?”_

_Yuuri had nodded and set down his bag before introducing himself. When he looked up his eyes were drawn to the posters on the wall behind Phichit’s bed. A dozen or so photos of professional skaters were taped and pinned up haphazardly._

_“You like skating too!” The words tumbled from Yuuri’s mouth before he could stop himself. They had hardly been a question. The first meeting between the boys was like the sowing of a seed—their friendship emerged swiftly and grew to stand the test of time, like a towering tree._

 

At the age of twenty-three Yuuri’s life seemed to revolve around only three things: figure skating, his idol—Victor Nikiforov, and his best friend Phichit.

Yuuri and Phichit shared a small apartment in Detroit, where they did their best to pass their university classes, and spent all of their free moments at the ice rink. Even after they moved past their teenage years, the walls above the beds remained decorated with posters and magazine clippings featuring skaters.

Phichit had a few favorites featured on his wall—including a couple pictures of Yuuri himself. Yuuri’s wall mainly sported one silver-haired skater, but he also kept one nondescript framed photo of Phichit and himself at his bedside.

Weekends in the dorm were split between homework and casual time spent celebrating the fact that there were no classes or skating practice sessions on Sundays. On Saturday Phichit typically worked furiously on assignments, as Yuuri slunk around the room, attempting to avoid his work _and_ Phichit’s reprimands.

“Yuuri, if you don’t get started on that paper right now you’re only going to feel more stressed about it later.”

Yuuri sat on his bed, scrolling through photos on his phone, but not really absorbing anything he was seeing. He knew Phichit was right. Phichit was responsible, hardworking, upbeat, everything you could want in a professional skater and student. Yuuri collapsed onto the mattress and made a show of burying his face under his pillows.

He spoke loudly so that Phichit could hear him through the material of the pillows. “I know, but I don’t have to feel stressed out at all if I just pretend like the paper doesn’t exist.”

Phichit didn’t look up from the pages he was reading. His textbook sported neon tabs and sticky notes that peaked out from between the pages. “I don’t understand how you can feel so calm when you _know_ the deadline is approaching,” he turned slightly to peer at Yuuri’s crumpled form on the bed, “don’t you get anxious with the thought of all that unfinished work looming over your head?”

Yuuri groaned into the pillows but offered no supplementary comments.

Phichit clicked the tip of his pen impatiently. “If you get started on it now, you could have the outline finished before the end of the day,” he paused for a moment, “I want to see at least two pages of outline from you by seven—if you can do that, we’ll order pizza for dinner—my treat.”

Yuuri peaked up from the pillows. Despite the authoritative tone he had been using, Phichit was still smiling at him. He felt guilty for always relying on Phichit to keep him in-check and on time with schoolwork.

Yuuri rubbed at his eyes, “Can we get breadsticks too?”

Phichit sighed and tapped his pen against the surface of his desk. If you can get through the entire outline without complaining to me, then yes, we will get breadsticks too.”

Two hours later, both boys sat cross-legged together on Yuuri’s bed, eating pizza out of the box, and watching a movie on Phichit’s laptop. Yuuri leaned against the wall behind him. His head rustled the slick paper of his posters. He peered to the left, studying what he could see of Phichit’s face out of the corner of his eye.

The movie was something Phichit had chosen. Yuuri wasn’t overly interested in watching it, but he liked seeing his friend’s face light up in response to the flashing images on the screen.

The characters on screen broke into song and dance—Phichit hummed the tune to himself. Yuuri pulled a pillow into his lap and bunched it against himself. He allowed his eyelids to droop as he listened to the sound of Phichit humming along to the track.

When Yuuri next opened his eyes the dorm room was dark and silent. The laptop and pizza box had been moved from the mattress, but Phichit’s sleeping form remained on his bed.

Yuuri had slumped to one side in his sleep so that he was lying with his pillow still clutched in his arms, and his head resting on the mattress itself. Phichit’s bare calves rested a few inches in front of his face. He listened to the slow rhythmic breathing of his sleeping friend.

Slowly, without thinking about what he was doing, or why he was about to do it, Yuuri stretched one hand forward to touch Phichit’s leg. The other boy didn’t stir at the touch. He let the weight of his hand rest against the warmth of the skin. He closed his eyes, and the drag of sleep pull him back into his dreams.

 

Yuuri awoke with a start and a blunt pain in his nose.

“Oh god, Yuuri, did I just kick you in the face? I’m so sorry!”

Yuuri raised a hand to his upper lip, checking for blood, and opened his eyes to see the dorm room filled with early afternoon light.

“Isso-kay,” he muttered and pushed himself into a sitting position. Phichit was sitting up in bed as well, his hair ruffled and sticking in all directions. They looked at each other for a moment, and then both of them burst out in laughter.

Yuuri lowered his hand from his face and yawned. “What time is it? It looks late.”

Phichit nodded and scrambled off the bed to retrieve his phone. “It’s nearly eleven, we slept for a long time.”

Yuuri groaned, “It’s going to be hard for me to fall asleep tonight. I should have set an alarm.”

Phichit flashed him a mischievous smile, “guess we’ll just have to tire you out before bedtime then.”

Yuuri raised one eyebrow. “It’s our day off from practice, please don’t make me exercise.”

Phichit laughed and stretched his arms in the air. “No, no. I think we should do something a little more fun than that.”

Less than an hour later, Yuuri and Phichit had both showered and dressed and were waiting for the bus at the stop in front of their dorm building.

“Will you please tell me where we’re going?” Yuuri glanced at Phichit, who brushed his comment off with a dismissive hand wave and continued studying something on the screen of his phone.

Yuuri sat down on the bench behind him. He was starting to get hungry and he had no idea if Phichit’s plans for the day also included a food stop.

He opened his mouth to complain, but Phichit stopped him with one finger pointed in his direction.

“Hold it. I know what you’re about to say, and yes, I will make sure you are fed as soon as possible.” He laughed at the defeated look on Yuuri’s face.

Yuuri sighed and took a moment to wipe the lenses of his glasses clean on his shirt.

The bus was crowded with university students eager to enjoy their remaining weekend hours. Yuuri and Phichit huddled together, holding onto silver bars for balance. Several different languages flew through the small spaces between the bodies of students crushed together.

Phichit was facing Yuuri, still looking at his phone, scrolling with the thumb of one hand while his other hand held onto a bar. Yuuri tried to push himself onto his toes—he wanted to sneak a peek at whatever Phichit was so fixated on. Phichit seemed to detect Yuuri’s snooping glances, and his eyes snapped up.

The Thai boy was wearing a black baseball cap turned backward. Some of the hair belonging to his fringe poked out through the small opening in the cap. His eyes were crinkled a bit in a smile.

Yuuri blushed and redirected his gaze. Not knowing where he was heading was starting to get on his nerves a little. He noted the bus route they were on was headed towards one of the malls, but it wasn’t clear if that would be their stopping point, or if they were going to transfer to another line when they go there.

Phichit poked a finger into Yuuri’s cheek. “Okay, sorry. I’ll stop paying attention to my phone now.”

Yuuri rolled his eyes, “it’s fine.”

Phichit gave a _huff_ and reached forward to pinch at the skin of Yuuri’s cheek instead. “My dear Yuuri deserves my undivided attention.”

Yuuri lifted a hand to push away Phichit’s fingers. “Stop it. You don’t have to baby me.”

Phichit quirked one eyebrow and let out a quiet, “ _hmmm_.”

 

When the bus stopped at the mall, Phichit grabbed Yuuri’s wrist and pulled him towards the exit door. Yuuri’s heart jumped into his throat. The crowd of students on the bus was surging all around them. Most people were funneling towards the doors, other students shifted around to claim seats that had just been vacated. No one seemed to take notice of the friends’ linked arms.

Phichit bounded out of the bus, yanking Yuuri along with him. He chittered happily, “time for another bus.”

Yuuri had to exert effort to repress him groan. He was hungry, sweaty, and not looking forward to another bus ride.

The second bus they stepped onto was less crowded. It was a larger model, with two sections split apart from each other by a joined segment with accordion walls.

Phichit’s hand hadn’t once left Yuuri’s wrist—Yuuri stared at it as he was dragged through the bus.

They walked all the way to the back and Phichit finally let go of Yuuri to slip into the seat at the back corner of the bus. Yuuri hesitated, unsure if he should take the seat directly beside his friend, or leave one empty space between them. The bus wasn’t crowded after all.

Phichit reached up and grabbed his arm near the elbow. “Sit.” Yuuri felt himself being tugged down into the seat at his friend’s side. Phichit put one foot up on the seatback in front of him.

“Okay, this ride is going to be a little longer, but then we’ll be there for real. And I’ll feed you. Think you can make it a little bit longer?”

Yuuri rubbed at his forehead and let out an over-exaggerated sigh. “I’m not sure I have many other options at my disposal.”

Phichit winked at him.

The bus ride was quiet. Yuuri lapsed into his typical habit of sneaking glances at Phichit from the corner of his eye. The other boy was looking out the window. He only checked his phone two or three times during the whole trip—a surprising departure from his usual habits.

Yuuri shifted in his seat and angled his leg so there was only an inch or so of space separating their knees. A few times the bus bounced or swayed in one direction, and their legs brushed together.

Phichit unlocked his phone. Yuuri was able to glance and catch sight of a map.

“We’re nearly there, it’s just around the corner.”

He sat up straight, and peered out the window of the bus, searching for a clue that would indicate their final destination.

It looked like they were about to pull into the parking lot of another mall—much larger than the one near campus.

Yuuri scrunched his eyebrows, “shopping? Why did we have to come all the way out here?”

Phichit smiled. “No, not shopping. You’ll see!”

The bus stopped and passengers unloaded. Phichit didn’t reach for Yuuri’s arm this time.

They walked through the entrance of the huge mall. Yuuri had never been inside this particular building before. The ceilings were high and filled with skylights.

Phichit tended to walk faster than Yuuri. He was wearing black skinny jeans and high top sneakers. Yuuri let his eyes linger a few moments before he forced himself to look up. He bit his own tongue and silently reprimanded himself for being stupid.

“Yuuriiiiiiii, did you know there’s an ice rink inside of this mall?” Phichit turned to look at him with a grin on his face.  
  
“Please tell me you didn’t bring us all the way out here to skate.”

Phichit _tsked_ and waited for Yuuri to catch up to him. “No, we’re not ice skating today.”

Yuuri felt his stomach clench. He was starting to feel a little sick. “Phichit I’m going to starve to death if we don’t eat soon.”

“I know, I know. One more minute.”

The pair turned a corner and walked under a huge arching entranceway.

The space they entered was huge—and dark.

“What am I looking at?” Yuuri asked.

Phichit pointed to one side. There was large open floor surrounded by low walls. Lights flashed and spun overhead. There were a handful of people gliding across the floor wearing roller skates.

Yuuri grimaced and whined. “More skating? I thought you said _no_ skating?”

Phichit rolled his eyes. “ _Roller skating_ is not ice skating. It’s different! You’ll have fun.”

Yuuri knitted his brows together. He was skeptical.

“Have you never roller skated before?”

“Never.” Yuuri was not thrilled with the idea. Somehow, he doubted his familiarity with the ice would translate well to skating on eight rubber wheels.

“Come on Yuuri, I’ve been _dying_ to come here for ages. We’ll eat first.”

And then Phichit was holding onto Yuuri’s arm again, dragging him forward. Yuuri swallowed and focused on the feeling of Phichit’s warm hand against his skin. Maybe he wouldn’t mind the skating so much after all—as long as he had Phichit at his side to help steady him.

 

There was a small diner set off to the side of the roller rink. 70s music poured out from a set of speakers in the corners of the restaurant. Phichit bounded up to the swivel stools anchored to the floor at the edge of the counter. He popped up onto the seafoam-colored stool and patted the seat beside him.

Yuuri climbed up onto his own stool. A petite waitress with painted lips slipped into position across the counter. “What can I get for you boys?”

Phichit leaned forward. He was grinning. His eyes sparkled under the pendulum lights.  
We’ll take two milkshakes, strawberry for me—he’ll have vanilla. And an order of the biggest basket of fries you have.”

The woman tapped one hand against the counter and smiled. “Sure thing, I’ll have it out to you in just a minute.”

Phichit sat back in his seat and turned to Yuuri. “Does that sound good to you? I’m buying, of course.”

Yuuri laughed and shook his head slightly. “It sounds great.”

The food arrived—two tall milkshakes and a basket of fries the size of a basketball set out between them. Yuuri watched Phichit pinch a couple fries between his fingers and plunge them into his milkshake. He gave his friend a concerned glance.

“Is that good?”

Phichit giggled and sucked at his milkshake through the wide straw. “You're supposed to do it Yuuri—it’s like, a thing.”

“Like a thing? Dipping oily potatoes into liquidized ice cream is a _thing_?”

“Yes!” Phichit took a fry and tossed it in Yuuri’s direction. “It’s good, stop judging me.”

Yuuri shook his head, but picked up a single French fry anyway and plunged it into the milkshake. It tasted okay—he didn’t think it was spectacular, but it wasn’t gross like he had anticipated either.

When they had finished eating Yuuri was feeling pleasantly full. However, the thought of then getting up to engage in vigorous skating activities was not appealing. They walked from the small diner to another counter staffed by a single employee. Phichit slid up to the man at the register.

“Two adult admission and two quad rentals please.”

Yuuri waited on a nearby bench for Phichit to return with the skates. They were ugly—dirty florescent orange wheels and flaking material on the boot. He reached out to take one skate from Phichit—turned the object over in his hands. The laces looked unreliable, at best.

“I don’t know about this Phichit—they’re so floppy. And the ankles will barely come up on me at all.”

Phichit waved one hand. “They’re not ice skates Yuuri, it’ll be fine. You’ll just need to get used to it.”

Yuuri nodded and took the second skate from Phichit. They laced up in silence on the bench. Yuuri could feel the warmth of Phichit’s body hovering just an inch or so off to his side. Phichit suddenly stood up, pivoting in place to face Yuuri, and offered his hand.

“Here, I’ll help you out. It’ll feel weird at first but I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it really quickly.”

He took Phichit’s hand in his own. The other boy had soft skin—warm and dry hands. He squeezed Phichit’s fingers in his palm as he stood up in place. The skates felt solid on his feet, if not a little loose, but they were comfortable nevertheless.

“Okay?” Phichit asked.

“Okay.”

Yuuri pushed his feet forward—it felt wrong. The rubber wheels gripped the floor; there was too much resistance. He felt his body sway forward so he bent lower on his knees. Phichit gripped him harder, pulled up on his arm to steady him.

“Feels different, huh?”

Yuuri nodded and let out a small laugh. He probably looked like an idiot—imagine that, how long had it been since Yuuri was last stumbling around with skates on his feet. They made it to the edge of the glossy floor and Phichit stepped over the small lip at the boundary.

Yuuri eased himself onto the floor—he was still grasping Phichit’s hand; his palm was beginning to sweat. He blushed.

Phichit turned so they were face to face and kicked off backward. Yuuri let himself be towed forward at first. He soon graduated to skating in little strokes. He was gaining speed.

Everything was fine until they began to ease into their first turn at the corner of the rink. Instinctually, Yuuri shifted his weight to the left to make it around the corner, but something went wrong—the wheels refused to follow the mass of his body. His right foot came forward and smacked into his left skate. He stumbled.

Yuuri let go of Phichit’s hands and crouched low, his hands splayed to the sides. He took a deep breath and glanced up at his friend, who was laughing at him. He groaned.

Phichit spoke between little outbursts of giggling, “Sorry, sorry. You’re doing fine. You didn’t even fall!”

Yuuri remained crouched down with his arms wrapped around his knees and his butt resting on the heels of his skates. He pouted.

“This feels unnatural. I don’t think I’m cut out for wheels.”

Phichit skated forward a bit and crouched down in front of Yuuri. “You’re doing fine, really. Come on, give it another minute or two of practice and you’ll be golden.”

Yuuri slowly stood in place. He glanced over at the other skaters on the floor—everyone seemed to be getting around fine on their own. He figured, if those people could do it, then it shouldn't take too long for him to get the hang of it as well.

Phichit stood watching him. He pushed forward on one foot. Now he understood why the minimal ankle support wasn’t an issue in these skates. It felt like he was standing on a heavy platform—like he was cemented to the floor. He missed the freedom of maneuvering on a thin blade. Pivoting and turning on the wheels felt jerky and rough.

Phichit skated at his side, not commenting, but watching over him with observant eyes. Yuuri thought he could feel the gaze, like warmth penetrating his skin. He wished he wouldn’t have let go of Phichit’s hand before.

They continued on like that—Yuuri growing increasingly comfortable in his skates, but also not daring to push himself beyond the most basic moves. Phichit tight by his side, offering encouraging smiles and a steadying hand when needed.

It took about an hour before Yuuri could truly let go and enjoy the freedom of moving through space on skates.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Btw, this was actually written months ago and I only skimmed through it quickly before posting so if there's anything that's super weird or any major mistakes feel free to let me know and I'll clean it up.


End file.
